Project info
Project name
12.12 Just kidding?! Using humor to cope with moral responsibility and facilitate behavioural change
Work package
- Work
Sustainability threat
- Feedback Cycles
Challenge
- Identity flexibility and sustainable cooperation
- Shared responsibility and sustainable cooperation
Study info
Description of Study
For this research project, we aimed to find out more about the motivating role of experienced- and observed discomfort on positive risk-taking intentions and behaviours. We were especially interested in the role of cognitive discomfort appraisals, inspiration, and psychological safety as possible psychological mechanisms.
In this study, a motivational speaker will give two different presentations on "the role of discomfort for personal growth." The first presentation will serve as a control condition and consist of conveying theoretical knowledge about feelings of discomfort, psychological safety, and personal growth. The second presentation will be complemented by a series of practical exercises in which half of the audience will be encouraged to experience some discomfort themselves (e.g., dancing together on stage, engaging in prolonged eye contact, shouting statements out loud and singing). The other half of the audience will be asked to observe the scene, and and pay attention to what other group members might feel and think when engaging in the exercises. Positive risk-taking intentions and behaviours will be measured before and after the presentations.
Study research question
1) What is the relationship between cognitive discomfort appraisals and positive risk-taking?
2) What is the relationship between psychological safety and cognitive discomfort appraisals?
3) Does discomfort appraisals moderate the relationship between type of discomfort and positive riskt-taking?
4) Does inspiration mediate the relationship between observed discomfort and positive risk-taking?
5) What is the relationship between inspiration and cognitive discomfort appraisals?
Collection provenance
- Collected during project
Collection methods
- Experiment
Personal data
Yes
External Source
Source description
File formats
- Both raw and cleaned datasets will be stored as .xlx documents on the University Odrive.
Data types
- Structured
- Unstructured
Languages
- Dutch and English
Coverage start
Coverage end
Spatial coverage
Collection period start
15/04/2024
Collection period end
19/06/2024
Variables
Unit
Unit description
Sample size
Sampling method
Individuals
bachelor, master or PhD students, at least 16 years old
150
convenience sampling
Hypothesis
Theory
Cognitive discomfort appraisals will be significantly associated with changes in positive risk-taking. The more participants perceive their discomfort as a challenge, the higher change in positive risk-taking they will display.
Based on the biopsychosocial model (Blascovich & Mendes, 2000) stating that depending on the perception of situational demands and resources, people can differentially perceive their situation as either a threat or a challenge. While challenge states were generally associated with positive emotions, high performance, and well-being, threat states were related to stress, anxiety, and lowered performance (Hase et al., 2019).
Psychological safety will be significantly associated with cognitive discomfort appraisals. The higher the degree of psychological safety, the more participants will perceive their discomfort as a challenge.
We are focusing on one specific situational resource, namely the feeling of psychological safety, which is the confidence that behaving in line with one’s values, beliefs, and motivation will not have any negative interpersonal consequences such as being laughed at, embarrassed, or rejected by others (Edmondson et al., 1999). We propose that if people feel psychologically safe, they are enabled to focus their attention to possible behavioural benefits and away from potential risks, thereby perceiving their discomfort as a challenge.
We want to explore our assumption that there might be a significant interaction between cognitive discomfort appraisals and type of discomfort (experienced vs observed) on changes in positive risk-taking. We expect a positive relation between perceived challenge and changes in positive risk taking in the experienced discomfort condition, but not in the observed discomfort condition.
For somebody experiencing discomfort, and perceiving this discomfort as a challenge, the benefits of positive risk-taking behaviour should become more salient, which would likely increase positive risk-taking intentions and behaviours. On the other hand, for somebody experiencing discomfort and perceiving it as a threat, the potential costs of the risk-taking behaviour might be dominant (Frings et al., 2014), potentially triggering feelings of anxiety, and thereby inhibiting positive risk-taking intentions and behaviours. We further assume that the opposite might be the case for people who observe others going through discomfort.
We have reasons to assume that inspiration will positively mediate the relationship between observed discomfort and positive risk-taking.
Since feelings of admiration were found to inspire to imitate the positive risk-taking behaviour of a role model (Algoe & Haidt, 2009), we think that the more inspired people are by seeing others overcoming their discomfort, the more positive risk-taking intentions and behaviours they should display.
Furthermore, we expect that inspiration will be significantly associated with cognitive discomfort appraisals. The more participants perceive their discomfort as a threat, the more inspired they could be by seeing others overcoming their discomfort.
People are particularly inspired by others who are perceived in some way superior to themselves, for example by displaying exemplary or outstanding behaviours (Algoe & Haidt, 2009). Inspiration also arises when we have the feeling that the other person had to put in much effort to succeed (Hong & Lin-Siegler, 2012; Klein & O’Brien, 2017; Thomson & Siegel, 2013). Therefore, especially observers who believe they would perceive similar situations as threatening and demanding in terms of required effort, should be most inspired by observing others overcoming their discomfort.
Variable type
Variable name
Variable description
Dependent variable
Positive Risk-Taking Behaviour
Behaviours that provide 1) potential rewards and costs, 2) variability in the probability of the outcomes, and 3) uncertainty about the outcomes. Unlike negative risks, positive risks are not harmful to well-being, safety, or health and are widely socially accepted. This variable will be measured before and three weeks after the presentation with 9 items on a 5-point Likert scale such as “If you are nervous or under pressure, how often do you dare to speak up with your thoughts, feelings and ideas?” or “ How often do you openly and honestly communicate with others?”. Additionally, we will ask them the open question: “What would you like to do differently from now on? Could you describe a situation in which you would behave differently?”;
Dependent variable
Positive Risk-Taking Intentions
The level of motivation or willingness to engage in positive risk-taking behaviours. This will be measured with 8 items on a 5-point Likert scale.
Independent variable
Type of Discomfort
A distinction will be made between experienced discomfort and observed discomfort. Experienced discomfort refers to the discomfort that arises when people engage in positive risk-taking themselves. Indirect discomfort refers to the discomfort that arises when people observe others going through discomfort.
Independent variable
Cognitive discomfort appraisals
A distinction will be made between perceptions of discomfort as a positive challenge or perception of discomfort as a threat. Cognitive discomfort appraisals will be measured with two items on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree) such as “During this presentation, I felt my discomfort as a positive challenge”.
Independent variable
Psychological Safety
The confidence that behaving in line with one’s values, beliefs, and motivation will not have any negative interpersonal consequences such as being laughed at, embarrassed, or rejected by others (Edmondson et al., 1999). Psychological safety will be measured with seven items on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree) adapted from Edmondson et al. (1999) such as “During the presentation, I thought that other participants had good intentions towards me” or “During the presentation, I thought that I could bring up problems and issues.”
Independent variable
Inspiration
Motivation that is triggered by external stimuli. Inspiration will be measured with a single item on a 5-Point Liker scale asking “To what extent were you inspired by others overcoming their discomfort?”
Control variable
Experienced Discomfort
Degree of direct discomfort that will be measured with three items on a 5-point Likert scale
Control variable
Observed Discomfort
Degree of indirect discomfort that will be measured with three items on a 5-point Likert scale.
Dependent variable
Gained Knowledge
Gained knowledge will be measured with a single item on a 5-point Likert scale asking ‘to what extent did you gain new knowledge?”
Dependent variable
Presentation Style
The degree of enjoyment of the music, humor and way of presentation will be measured with three items on a 5-point Likert scale.
Discipline-specific operationalizations
Conflict of interest
no conflict of interest
Data packages
Publications
Documents
Filename
Description
Date
Ethics
Ethical assessment
Yes
Ethical committee
Ethics Review Board of the Faculty of Social & Behavioural Sciences